Keltbray take down Big Bertha

The redevelopment of Earls Court, London is set to see 8,000 homes, a new High Street, 5-acre park and 10,000, a project led by developer Capital and Countries.

But first, Keltbray Ltd have brought in the big guns to lift 61 portal beams out from the site and over London Underground lines which once supported the former exhibition centres. Of these 61, the largest beam weighs in at an astounding 1,500 tonnes which equates to roughly 118 London buses, and as such has been nicknamed Big Bertha.

The 120m tall heavy lifting crane will allow for the programme of works to be dramatically reduced by 2 years, with the first lifts scheduled for later this month. The crane itself was designed and manufactured by ALE, and breaks the record for the largest capacity lifting crane to ever be used in London.

Taking place during ‘engineering hours’, the removal of Big Bertha and the remainder of the demolition is expected to conclude by the end of 2017, when the crane will be dismantled.